


one day we'll all be found

by itisjosh



Series: change won't come if we don't begin [1]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Academy, Adoption, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Attempted Murder, Chronic Illness, Creation, Developing Friendships, Escape, Exploration, Family Dynamics, Flying, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Growing Up, Immortality, Loss, Magic, Magic-Users, Moving On, Presumed Dead, Terminal Illnesses, Tragedy, Wings, honestly there is a lot of magic here lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:28:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27259435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itisjosh/pseuds/itisjosh
Summary: Phil is just another student permitted to go to the Magical Academy, he's just another student who has been offered a scholarship under the Archmage's watch.Sadly, nothing works out the way it should - and it never will.
Relationships: Dave | Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Dave | Technoblade & TommyInnit & Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson, TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson
Series: change won't come if we don't begin [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1939360
Comments: 168
Kudos: 267





	1. no longer lost

_Philza,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. My name is Illumina, and I am the Archmage at the Magical Academy. You might have heard of me before. I am the most powerful magic user to-date, and I believe that you would be extremely successful under my guidance. Of course, it is entirely up to you, and I am not going to pressure you into doing anything. However, as it is custom, you will be brought to the Academy to ensure your learning of your powers. You will be allowed to travel back and forth to your home, or you are permitted to stay in the dorms we offer. You will have a total of five classes to begin, and you are eligible to graduate after three years of staying in the Academy. However, you may be allowed to graduate early if you are proven to be trustworthy and safe, with a complete control of your magical abilities. Of course, you are allowed to stay as long as you like - we do not have age restrictions on who is allowed to learn and who is not._

_Thank you,_

_Illumina, Archmage of the Magical Academy_

Phil stares at the letter in his hand, his heart racing a little too fast. _Holy shit_. He only found out about his powers a day ago, and he's already been offered a scholarship under the _Archmage?_ Phil has heard so much about him, he's heard how about how powerful and strong he is, how wise he is. Phil bounces on his heels, reaching out to grab a pen. He hesitates for a second, looking back down at the letter. Does he need to write back? Illumina just told him that he'll be taken to the Academy _tomorrow_ , so he'll have a chance to talk to him then, right? Phil looks over his shoulder, frowning for a second. Fuck it, if Illumina _really_ wants him to be his apprentice, he'll accept Phil whether he writes a letter or not. 

He pushes himself out of his chair, bouncing on his heels. Phil is careful to slip on the gloves he was given by his parents, the ones that limit his powers. He doesn't want to hurt anyone, especially after he nearly set his dad's clothes on fire. Phil keeps the letter on the table, careful not to crinkle it at all. He isn't sure how formal he's supposed to be, but he doesn't want to fuck it up already. He moves past the table, pushing open his door to get outside. "Phil!"

"Harvey!" He grins at his friend, who nearly crashes straight into him. "Hello! Are you ready to go to the Academy?" Phil tilts his head, excitement seeping into his words. He knows that Tapl doesn't mind - they're great friends, after all. "You still don't have to if you don't want to, which is-"

Tapl laughs, punching him in the shoulder. "Shut up, of course I'm going. I don't have to be magic to attend, right?" He grins. "And, who knows? Kids have figured out that they're magic once they reach the Academy, right? Maybe I'm a mage in disguise." Phil snorts, giving him a shove back. 

"Doubt it. You're probably a wizard, Harv'. You don't strike me as the mage type," he teases. "You might be a witch!"

"A _witch_?" Tapl raises an eyebrow. "I think that's just a roundabout way of calling me a bitch, Phil." Phil giggles, dancing out of the way of his friend's fists. 

"Would _I_ ever call _you_ a bitch?" He asks, grinning a little more when Tapl nearly doubles over from the force of his missed punches. "No, I'd never. You're just dramatic, Harvey. You're lucky that I don't know how to use my magic yet, or else I'd throw you _very_ far," Phil promises him. "Once I start to get training, you are _done_ for, Tapl." 

"Oh, says you, _Philza_ ," Tapl teases back, stopping his assaults for now. "I'm gonna outshine you," he promises. "I'm going to be the best student that Academy has _ever_ seen, and I'm not even magic. They're gonna ask _me_ to be the Archmage, and I'll say _yes_. Then, I'm making you fight to the death against, like, a lion, or whatever." 

Phil snorts, adjusting his cloak. "I'm _sure_ , Harv'. You have everything packed up, right? You're not gonna make me be late, are you?" Tapl rolls his eyes. 

"You always think so lowly of me, Philza. Yeah, I've got everything packed. Do you?"

"Yeah," Phil smiles. "I do." 

* * *

He does not have everything packed.

"Phil, you're ten minutes late _already!_ " Tapl whines, draping his arms around his neck. "How am I ever gonna be the Archmage when my co-Archmage isn't even at the Academy yet? This is ridiculous, Phil."

"Maybe if you'd get off me, I'd be ready!" Phil scoffs, running himself back into the wall. He feels Tapl's weight drop off of him, thank fucking god. He pushes half of the shit off of his desk, staring down at the emptiness. "I swear, I had it! I don't know where it is, I can't leave without it, Harvey!" 

"You're positive you didn't put it in your suitcase?"

"I didn't want it to get crumpled," Phil shakes his head, opening three of his drawers at once. "I don't know where it is! I have to have it, I need to show it to the Archmage. I don't want to have to make a new one." 

Tapl moves in front of him, eyes serious. "Phil, he said you can come back here. Come on, we need to go. You'll find it in your suitcase, I swear. But if you're any later for this, they're going to think you have a bad work ethic, and they're gonna revoke that apprenticeship. We gotta go, Phil." Phil wishes he wasn't right.

He nods, sighing as he closes his drawers. He throws his suitcase over his shoulder, letting Tapl help him zip it. "You're right. I hate it when you're right," Tapl doesn't say anything, he just grins. Little shit. Phil grabs him by the hand, dragging him out of his house. He races throughout the streets of his home, staring up at the Academy. It's only a three minute walk, and..wait. Phil can teleport. He doesn't know how, but he bets he can do it. "I'm really sorry if we die," Phil murmurs, focusing on the front of the Academy. He's been there once or twice, just to see what it looks like. Never officially, but he knows what the outside of it looks like. He feels the world scream and move around him, and he feels his stomach lurch. "Woah!" Phil stumbles back when he feels grass under his feet, staring up at the..

"Philza," the Archmage raises an eyebrow down at him. _Fuck_ , he's tall. "Did you just..teleport here?" 

"Yes, sir!" Phil grins, puffing out his chest to hide his nervousness. Tapl is still right next to him, looking both terrified and excited at the same time. 

The Archmage smiles at him, taking a step off of his podium. There are about a hundred or so kids around him, and they're all..they're all fucking looking at him. "Well, Phil. Can I call you Phil?" He nods. "It seems like I was right about you. Anyways," he clears his throat, turning back to face the rest of the students. "Welcome to the Magical Academy, everyone! I believe that this is going to be an excellent batch of students. And Phil?" The Archmage looks at him, beaming. "Come with me."

* * *

The first year in the Academy goes by _very_ quickly. 

And in that time, Phil isn't entirely sure how the fuck he got here. 

"Come on!" Tapl grins, shoving Spifey towards Mega, who just looks furious. Mega always looks furious. "It's gonna be so much fun, and you all know it! What's the point in being some of the top students if we don't flaunt it, right? _Right_ , Geo?" Spifey blinks, taking a step back.

"Hey, I never agreed to any of this," he laughs, pointing over at Finn. "It was all his idea, I swear."

"It was not!" Finn protests, flipping him off. "Blame Vurb for this one, it's always him. I swear, it's never anyone else _but_ Vurb, that little shit," Finn sighs, crossing his arms. "I'm not opposed, but Illumina already hates me and we all know it."

Phil grins, leaning in a little. "Maybe it's 'cause you flooded the bathrooms when you tried to summon a water demon?" Finn blinks at him.

"Oh, fuck off." He cackles, nearly falling on his ass. Phil never thought rooming with a fuck ton of different magic practitioners would be _fun_ , but god was he wrong. Tapl, surprisingly, did develop powers the second month in the Academy. He's a magician. Spifey is a wizard, Mega is a mage like him, and Finn's a witch. Phil isn't entirely sure _what_ Vurb is, but he's fairly certain he's a mixture of a witch and a magician. 

"Party has started!" Tapl shouts, clapping his hands together. Phil watches as fireworks go off in the distance, and assumes that that's probably Spifey's fault. "One year anniversary, baby! Anyone ready to fuck some shit up?" 

Phil smiles, crossing his arms back as he watches his friends cast so many spells, lighting up the sky with colours and shapes. 


	2. i can see the light through the leaves

"To the left!" Phil veers over to the right instead, opening a portal for the ball to go through. The ball passes through the portal, disappearing entirely for a second. He stares at Tapl for a second before he opens a portal right in front of him, sending the ball speeding towards him. Tapl manages to catch it, throwing it towards Vurb. Vurb leaps up in the air, nearly nosediving. "Phil!" He shouts, and Phil sends a portal under him, throwing him back into the air. "Finn!" Vurb flails his arms for a second, chucking the ball towards the witch. 

"Clutch!" Spifey grins, clapping his hands together as he soars forwards, landing directly in front of Vurb's throw. He glances over at Phil, and he gets the hint. Phil summons another portal under the man, moving him halfway across the pitch. He opens the portal again, watching as Spifey dodges the blast from the other team's striker. Phil throws a portal towards Tapl, putting him directly in front of the striker. He's pretty sure the other team is called the Red Ravens, which is dramatic. He moves Finn over towards the Ravens' portal opener, blocking a portal. Phil grins, watching as Spifey slams the ball into the net, whirling around with the biggest grin on his face. 

"Let's go, Black Swans!" Finn laughs, teleporting himself across the pitch, grabbing Mega and Tapl when he does. "That's was so good! Winners, baby!" Finn shouts, wrapping his arms around Mega, who nearly sends him flying across the pitch. "Undefeated for life!" 

Phil laughs, fist bumping Tapl. "Good save, Phil," Tapl grins at him, nudging him with his hip. "Geo coming in _clutch!_ " He laughs, moving over to go talk to Spifey. Phil rolls his eyes, pretending to not notice the fact that his best friend's got a huge crush on their runner. 

"Phil," Illumina teleports in front of him, closing the portal behind himself when he does. Phil breathes out, trying his best not to seem startled. The Archmage _always_ does that, he's so dramatic. "This is the first year I've had a team go undefeated," Illumina beams, gesturing over to the rest of his teammates. Mega's got a knife to Vurb's throat, which isn't the first time today. "Do you plan on continuing portal ball?" Phil smiles, watching as Tapl lifts Spifey into the air. 

"I think so. Oh," he pauses, waving his hand to summon his Ender Chest. "I finished the idea for my wings. It's called an elytra," Phil explains, letting the Ender Chest fade out once he's grabbed the paper. "I think all I need is a bit of scrap.." Phil murmurs, glancing down at his plans. "Once I get that, it should just wrap around your back. If I'm lucky, I'll figure out a way to make it make it click with chestplates, too. Here," he hands the Archmage his notes, watching as Illumina stares at them. "It's mostly just a rough sketch, but I can make it work."

Illumina is quiet for a bit before he grins, looking back up at Phil. "This is the most impressive design I've seen in a long time, Phil."

"Thanks," Phil beams back at him. "I don't like being on the ground," he shrugs, glancing back over at Vurb, who's on the ground now. Oops. "I should probably go take care of them," he gestures over to his friends. "They might kill each other if I don't go stop it." Illumina laughs, nodding. 

"Go on, then. I'll talk to you later, Phil."

"You too, Illumina," he waves, crossing his arms as he stalks over to his team. "Mega, stop strangling him," Mega turns to glare at him, eyes narrowed sharply. "Don't look at me like that. I'll launch you across the pitch, I swear." Mega inaudibly sighs, and Phil watches as Vurb breathes in. Vurb grins up at him, launching himself back up to his feet, dusting himself off. 

"Thanks, Phil. I might stop touching your toes in your sleep for that." 

Phil sighs. "I should have let him kill you." Vurb grins, turning away and strutting off. 

"Probably!" He chirps, and then he's gone.

Phil hates that bastard so much, he swears. 

* * *

Phil stares at the elytra, watching as the wings flap on their own. "Holy _shit_ ," he whispers, glancing over to stare at his friends. Finn is passed out on top of Tapl, Spifey is sleeping on the couch, and Mega is sleeping in his bed. Phil's got no clue where Vurb is, which is always fucking concerning. He picks up the elytra, sliding it over his neck. The straps lock in place immediately, and he hears a quiet buzzing from behind him. "Okay. Please let this work." Phil murmurs, moving to stand on the ledge of his dorm's window. He stares out at the Academy, watching as students and professors wander the grounds outside. Well, if he falls, at least he's got a couple of people who might stop him from dying. 

He shifts, feeling the elytra vibrate. It shouldn't be doing that, should it? Whatever, he can levitate himself if he falls. Phil takes a step off of the ledge, feeling the wind woosh through his hair, his heart plummeting to his chest. _Fuck_ , he's f-

 _He's flying_.

Phil laughs, soaring upwards. He grins, twirling in the air. "It works!" He shouts, diving down to fly past a professor, the elytra flapping its wings to get back up. "Get the Archmage, I figured it out! The elytra works!" Phil calls, clapping his hands together. "I did it!" He dives down to the ground, the elytra sliding back into itself as soon as his feet touch the ground. 

"Phil!" Illumina calls back at him, rushing over to him. "It works?" 

"It does!" Phil grins, leaping up into the air. The elytra clicks back out, the wings propelling him forwards. He soars up, twirling, the elytra humming. "It's working, Illumina! It's working!" Phil dives back to the ground, his elytra whirring for a second before he stops flying, his feet touching the ground. "Illumina, I've-"

Phil whirls around when he hears screaming, looking up towards the sky. "What the fuck?" Illumina whispers. "Phil. We need to go. _Now_."

"What?" He frowns, glancing towards his dorm. "Illumina, what the hell was that?" The Archmage shakes his head, genuine fear in his eyes. " _Illumina_. What the _fuck_ was that?" Phil presses, taking a step forwards. "What was that!?" 

"I don't know!" Illumina shouts, his hands igniting. "Get everyone out of your dorm, the Academy is under attack! Go, Phil! Hurry up, get the word out!" 

Phil feels blood pounding in his ears, his heart dropping. The Academy is..under attack. Phil launches himself into the air, speeding towards his dorm. He nearly crashes into the wall, looking around for his friends. "Harvey? Geo? Finn, Mega? Vurb?" He calls out, frowning at the emptiness. "What..where.."

"Phil!" _Tapl_. "Phil, we..we have to go," his voice is drained of the life and energy Phil has come to expect from him. That's not right. That isn't Tapl. "Phil?" 

"..Harv'," he clears his throat, moving back to the window ledge. "What's up?" Phil stares into the darkness, watching as two glowing eyes appear, staring right back at him. "Where's Spifey?"

"Spifey?" 

"Your friend."

"Oh," Tapl giggles. "He's gone." 

Phil leaps out of the window as soon as the creature lunges towards him, soaring away from his dorm. He lands on the top of the clocktower in the middle of the courtyard, summoning a portal next to him. "Illumina!" Phil shouts, terror gripping his chest. What the fuck? What..what the _hell_ was that? Phil's never seen anything like it. He's seen demons before, he's helped _summon_ them before, but..they're always chained to something. They're never left free. What the hell? Why..why was it mimicking Tapl? 

"Here," Illumina appears from the portal, blood dripping down his face. "Phil. You have to go," he winces, clutching his chest. "I don't know what happened. There..there are.."

"Demons," Phil whispers. "Why aren't they controlled?"

"I don't know," Illumina shakes his head, blood pouring out of..oh. _Oh_. "Phil, there..there's no one here, you have to go. You have to go, Phil, please," Phil shouts when he watches part of his dorm building ignite, exploding a second later. " _Go!_ " Phil blinks at him.

"I'll come back," Phil promises. He can get help, the..there's no way everyone's gone. He can get help. Phil leaps off of the clocktower, head snapping to the left when he hears _Tapl_. "Harvey!" 

Tapl looks up at him, cradling a body in his arms. "Phil.." he murmurs, tears shining in his eyes. "He's dead, Phil," Phil stares down at..oh. Oh, god. Spifey. "What happened?" Tapl asks, tears trailing down his face. "Where..what happened, Phil? What the fuck happened? I..I can't feel my body, Phil. I think I'm dying."

"No," Phil shakes his head, kneeling down to his best friend. "Where's everyone else, Harvey? What happened? Where..how did you get here?"

"Geo.." Tapl murmurs. "He made a portal. Mega got Finn out, but- I don't..I don't know.." he shakes his head, eyes glazing over. "I.. _fuck_ , Phil. I don't want to die. I'm not going to come back."

"It's okay," Phil promises him, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "It's okay. I'm so sorry, I don't.."

Tapl smiles at him, his face so devoid of life. "It's fine. I..never told him."

"He knew."

"I wish I told him, Phil."

"I know."

"I..I'm going to die," Tapl murmurs, letting his head drop. "I _am_ dying, aren't I? Fuck. I didn't..okay. I lo- I love you, Phil. You need to..you gotta get out of here, man. You can't die here, too. Please go."

Phil holds back his tears, his body shaking so hard. "I love you, too. I love you, Harvey. I..I don't want to leave you. Not when you're dying." 

"Yeah," Tapl laughs, a small smile on his face. "Yeah. I get it. But you gotta, Phil. If you don't, you're gonna die, and then this isn't..it's not worth it. Go on, man. Get out of here. You've got your wings," Tapl leans back, his head resting against the ground. "Get yourself off the ground." 

So he does. 

Phil soars away from the Academy, turning back to look at it- 

He watches as the entire campus _explodes_ , ash and smoke veering towards him, as if it's fucking sentient. Phil gasps, staring at the clocktower. He sees a man on fire, and..Illumina is dying. Tapl is dead, Spifey is dead. They're all..

Phil turns back, leaving the Academy behind him. Leaving his friends behind him.


	3. we've met before

Phil is _exhausted_. 

He drags himself across the ground, leaning up against a tree. He's got no clue where he is. He isn't even in the same world as the Academy. He doesn't know where he is or how far away he is from it - all he knows is that it's _gone_. All of his friends are dead, they're all..they're dead, they're gone. And he didn't do anything to stop it. Phil winces, his head spinning. He couldn't have done anything. Demons are powerful, even if they're chained up to a magic user. There were so many of them, why were there so many? Phil's never seen that many demons in one area, and.. _fuck_. 

Phil stares up at the sky, dried blood caking the side of his face. He doesn't even remember getting hit, but maybe he did. There was so much..so many bad things happened in a fucking _day_. He doesn't even know if the world survived. If there were that many demons, there's no way they just went for the Academy. That wouldn't make sense. They targeted the Academy first, so the most powerful people, the protectors of the world, would die. Illumina..even the Archmage didn't survive. How did _Phil_ survive? Illumina was so much stronger than he was, and he..

 _Fuck_.

Phil sighs, closing his eyes. God, his entire body hurts so bad. All of his friends..he didn't even get to say goodbye. Tapl died after he left. Spifey was already dead. Finn, Mega, and Vurb..he doesn't even know where they were. Tapl said that Mega made a portal, but that..that doesn't mean they're alive. If he made a portal anywhere in the Academy, he would have been killed. No one could have escaped that explosion. And his friends, they..they're such _good fucking people_ , they would have stayed to help. They wouldn't have left, they would have fought. Why did Phil leave? He should have..

No. He would have died, he was the only one left. There was no one left to save other than himself. It's why he did it, he had to. He had to save at least one magic user, and he did that. He saved himself. Phil wishes he had been able to save his friends, to keep the Academy safe. But with that many demons..there was no way. He wouldn't have been able to do it. There were thousands of them, there were so fucking many. Phil winces, shifting to let his elytra pop back out. He's so _tired_. He doesn't know where to go, and he's fairly certain that the Academy's demise hasn't gotten out yet. No one has spoken about it. To be fair, he hasn't really seen a lot of people. 

Phil shifts, pushing himself forwards. He forces himself to get to his feet, agony coursing through his legs. He shakes his head, trying to summon a pain-blocker. Spifey taught him how to do it once. Finn taught him a more advanced version of the spell, but..Phil's a _mage_. Witches and wizards are the primary healer practitioners. He can't do healing spells like they could, he's never been able to. Neither could Harvey or Mega. Vurb was..sort of able to do it, but he wasn't _good_ at it. Phil watches the little ball of light buzz in his hands, vibrating back and forth. He moves it down to his legs, letting it roll down to his feet. 

He shouts when he feels an electric shock, kicking the ball away from him. Phil sighs. Of course he'd fuck it up. It isn't like he expected much - he isn't meant to do these kinds of spells. It would be nice if he _could_ , but he can't. Whatever, he'll just have to deal with it. Phil reaches upwards, grabbing the lowest branch of the tree that he can. He pulls himself up, swinging his legs back for a second before he lets go. His elytra whirs, and then he's in the sky, soaring above the forest. Phil glides over the forest for a couple of minutes, carefully scanning the area to watch for any signs of civilization. He snaps his head over to a house, turning to direct himself towards it.

Phil lands easily enough, wishing that his legs weren't as stiff as they are. "Hello?" Phil calls out, taking a step towards the house. "Is there anyone.." he pauses, glancing behind him. He hears.. _oh fuck no_. Phil summons a shield as fast as he can, throwing his arms over his chest. The demon bounces off of the shield, scrambling back. "You son of a bitch," Phil whispers, throwing his hand to the side. He summons an energy weapon, a trident appearing in his hand. "You followed me here, didn't you?" 

The demon grins at him, having tens of thousands of teeth. "You wouldn't kill me, would you, Phil?" The demon asks, mimicking Spifey's voice. "I'm your friend, right, Phil? You wouldn't hurt me." Its voice is too deep, too rough and grainy. Completely devoid of emotion and feeling. It sounds nothing like Spifey. 

"I'm going to kill you," Phil tells it, twirling the trident. He summons another energy weapon, this time taking the form of a shield. He raises it to his chest, eyes narrowed. This had to have been the demon that mimicked Tapl. Phil rushes the demon, raising his shield when it reaches towards it. The demon screams when it touches the energy. "Light-based magic, bitch," Phil snarls, throwing the trident forwards. It grazes the demon's leg, coming back to him immediately. "This is for my friends, you motherfucker." 

The demon leaps back, its face contorting into multiple, all versions of his friends. They're all slightly off. Spifey's eyes are the wrong colour, Mega's hair is black, Finn's skin is grey. Phil throws the trident again, nailing the creature in the side of its body, watching as it screams again, thrashing its claws wildly. Phil barely manages to block another strike from it, wishing he could have a free hand to summon spells. Whatever. He grips the trident a little tighter, shouting out when he feels the demon's claws strike his shoulder. Phil throws the trident again, watching as it pierces straight through the demon's face. Straight through Finn's face. The demon chitters, and Phil watches as it curls up on the ground, shrieking and thrashing around as it slowly, slowly ebbs out of existence. 

Phil heaves a sigh, his breath coming out a little faster than it should. Fuck. He turns to look at his shoulder, scrunching up his face at the dark smoke that curls around it. "What the fuck.." he narrows his eyes, reaching out to touch it. He bites down on his lip when he feels the burning, holding back screams of pain. If there was one demon, there could be another. For everything that he's read about demons, what happened to his shoulder shouldn't have happened. Is it burnt? He knows about demon burns - instant, third-degree burns which can burn to the bone. Phil touches the burn again, not feeling as much pain as he should. It hurts like a _bitch_ , but it doesn't hurt as much as it _should_. What the hell?

Whatever. Phil turns back to face the house, watching as the trident and shield disappear. Fuck, he's tired. Energy weapons are the only things that can kill demons _quickly_ , but they're so _draining_. Especially since he made two of them. Phil stalks towards the house, pushing the door open. He frowns at the knife at his throat, immediately-

"..Mega?" Phil asks, his voice barely a whisper. He watches as the knife moves away from his throat, staring at the face of his friend. "Oh my god," Phil breathes out. "You're..you're alive." 

Mega stares at him, half of his face burnt. _"_ _Finn and Vurb are dead,"_ Phil hears the voice in his head, ringing for a second. _"Spifey and Tapl, too, then?"_

"Yeah," he murmurs. "They're gone, too. Harvey told me you got them out." Mega turns away, closing his eyes. 

_"I did."_

Phil turns away for a second, staring at the black pool of sludge on the ground. "You didn't hear me kill the demon?"

 _"Figured it was an illusion,"_ Mega shrugs, moving away from the door. _"They're buried in the backyard,"_ he closes his eyes for a second, and Phil notices that one of his eyes is discoloured. _"I'm going to die, too."_

"What?" Phil frowns. "You got out. You're fine." Mega turns back to look at him, an eyebrow raised. 

_"Phil. Look at me,"_ he gestures up to his face, the burn becoming so much more apparent. Phil stares at it for a few more seconds, and..oh. _Oh._ _"Demon got me. I'll probably die tomorrow. Give or take a few hours,"_ he shrugs. _"Sorry that I'm leaving you on your own. Vurb and Finn said that they loved you."_ Phil heaves a sigh, his heart sinking. He really thought that..

"I got hit, too," Phil tells him. "The demon outside just hit me. It just got my shoulder," he shifts, letting Mega see the injury. "If it didn't get in your lungs, you're fine." 

Mega raises both eyebrows. _"It did. I can feel it. There's smoke and water in there right now, Phil. I'm going to die, and there's not much I can do about it. I don't care what you do with my body. Bury me or burn me, I don't care. It's not like I'll be around to mind."_

"I'm sorry."

 _"It isn't your fault, dumbass,"_ Mega tugs at his scarf, pushing it up a little more. It's stained with ash and blood. _"Not like you summoned the demons. It's fine, Phil. Stop saying sorry, or I'm leaving right now and I'm not telling you where I buried them. Listen,"_ he crosses his arms, leaning forwards. _"You should be fine. You'll be the survivor of the Academy. People like that kind of shit, they like an underdog's story, Phil. If you spread the word, people are going to want to help you."_

Phil snorts, wishing that was true. "The world was destroyed, Mega. I can't go back," he shakes his head. "I've tried. The portal doesn't go anywhere. The world is gone." Mega blinks, looking a little stunned.

_"I guess they're back in Hell, then. Unless they just killed themselves with the world."_

"I wish I knew."

 _"Find out,"_ Mega points a finger at him. _"You've got a spell for immortality, don't you? Figure it out, Phil. Don't let this be a fucking mystery. And if you die,"_ Mega shrugs. _"Then you die. There's the Darkness after this, right? That's what Illumina always said. If we're lucky enough, everyone'll be waiting for us when we get there. If not, sucks to suck. I'll wait for you. Try not to die unless you have to, though. I don't mind waiting."_

Phil smiles, reaching out to squeeze Mega's shoulder. "Thank you, Mega. They would have waited for you." Mega tugs at his scarf again, shrugging. 

_"The Darkness is supposed to make you forget until someone you know shows up. They've got each other, so they've probably remembered. But it wouldn't surprise me if they've already started to walk. It doesn't matter. I'll still wait."_

"You don't have to."

 _"I already decided,"_ Mega waves a hand, moving past Phil. _"Come on. Come say hi to Finn and Vurb."_

* * *

"Hey, Mega," Phil crouches in front of the graves, his elytra whirring on his back. He hasn't taken it off yet. He's afraid to take it off. "You know, you should probably start to walk. I know you said that you'd wait, but I don't want to keep you. I don't plan on dying anytime soon. The Academy is completely gone," Phil sighs. "It's been about a year or so, I think? I'm not sure. I've tried to go back a lot, but.." he shakes his head. "Yeah, there's nothing. The world is completely gone, Mega. There's nothing I can access. I'm trying my best to figure out how to run back time, even if only for a couple of seconds. Just to see what the fuck happened. Something had to have gone _really_ fucking wrong, Mega. Demons don't just unchain themselves from their magic users."

He leans back, putting his hands behind his back. "Hi, Finn. Hi, Vurb, Spifey, Harvey. It's good to see you all, too," Phil sighs. "I'm sorry that two of you don't have bodies to go along with your graves. If I still had access to the world, I'd..I'd figure it out, but I don't. Sorry about that," he closes his eyes. He's started to make the abandoned house into a home, a place for him to live. He's been trying his best to figure out the location, the area where he lives. But it's fucking _difficult_ , and there's so many things that go wrong all the time. "I think that you guys would have liked this place. It's big enough for all of us. Plus, I could always remodel the house. Mega and Spifey could have, too. You guys would have liked it. Especially you, Finn," Phil smiles at the grave. "Since you draw off of plants. This entire fucking place is just a forest, dude. You'd love it."

Phil taps his fingers against the ground, sighing when he watches little green lines move towards the graves. He's stopped wearing his gloves ever since he's got here, and in return, his magic has become a _lot_ more active. And physical. Especially if he doesn't do something with it. Back at the Academy, he was always using magic - whether it be for portal ball or for a class, Phil was never _not_ using magic. But he..he hasn't had much of a reason to, since he's got fucking nothing to do. He knows that he should start using magic more, but he doesn't know for what. 

"Alright. I'm gonna go," Phil pushes himself off of the ground, dusting off his pants. "You guys have fun. I'll talk to you later," he waves a hand, moving to go back inside. He likes what he's done with the place. There are a decent amount of plants, some in pots, some hanging off of the walls and ceilings. Finn would have liked that. He has a few rugs and carpets around, figuring that Tapl wouldn't have complained about getting splinters in his feet if he did that. It isn't like it matters - they're dead. But Phil's found himself subconsciously doing it, which sucks. It just reminds him of how many people he's lost. How all of his friends died, and he didn't. "Fuck, man." 

Phil glances over towards the staircase, running his hand along the railing as he starts to walk up it. The railing is a mixture of gold and silver, which Vurb would've _hated_. He never liked how gold looked, especially not on stairs, railings, and carpets. Phil imagines that he would have complained about it at every chance he got, which would have been fucking hilarious. Which is exactly why he doesn't plan on changing them - just out of spite. The house is way too fucking big for just one person, Phil thinks. It's got a total of six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen, living room, basement, and an even lower basement under the first one. Plus a loft, so seven bedrooms, counting that one. There's a garden outside, as well as the graves. Phil's been tending to it, growing flowers and food for himself.

Thank god he learnt how to cook. 

He sighs, going back down the stairs. He doesn't know why he went up them in the first place. It's so _empty,_ so _quiet_. He can imagine hearing Spifey and Finn yell at each other over something ridiculous. He can hear Vurb and Tapl shouting over each other, trying to get Spifey and Finn on their sides. Mega probably would have killed them all at some point, but it would have been funny, and..

Phil misses them. He misses them a lot. It's gotten a lot easier being alone, but that doesn't mean it's stopped hurting. 

Phil glances back outside, watching as the wind blows, the window curtains billowing out. "You know," he starts, quietly tapping his fingers against the railing. "You could always try to give me a sign, Mega," Phil clears his throat. "You know that sometimes people don't go to the Darkness," he takes a step outside, his elytra chittering. "If they wait long enough, they might come back. James taught us that, remember? In the necromancy class. Sometimes the Darkness spits them back out. Sometimes, the Darkness doesn't let people walk," Phil closes his eyes. "Sometimes, the Darkness lets you communicate with those who are still alive." 

_"You're right. It does."_


	4. did i start the fire?

Phil stares at the creature in front of him, rage bubbling in his chest. "You son of a fucking-"

"Language!" The demon whines, holding up its hands. "You don't need to to be so..sweary," the demon mutters, taking a step back. What the _fuck_. "I- hi," it smiles. "I'm bad." 

"You are bad," Phil agrees. "I'm going to kill you." 

"What? No! My name, it- it's Bad!" Bad raises its hands, stumbling back a bit. "Wait, wait, wait, please don't- please don't do that. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. It..it's just, you were talking to yourself, and I heard you, and I didn't want you to feel lonely. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I swear, I wouldn't have shown up if I knew you didn't want me to, I'm really sorry." 

Phil blinks. _What the fuck_. "You're a demon," he starts, waving a hand. His energy axe appears in his grip a second later. "Demons killed my friends. Demons are the reason that I'm here. _Demons_ are _evil_ ," Phil raises his voice, taking a long stride towards the creature. " _Demons_ are the reason I'm fucking alone. _You're_ the reason I'm alone!" He shouts, gripping the axe tighter. "Who the fuck do you think you're fooling? I've killed your kind before, I'm not going to fucking-"

" _Language!_ " Bad huffs, crossing its arms. "I- I'm really sorry about your friends. I'm..I didn't know that happened. A lot of my friends left, and then they didn't come back. I'm so sorry. I didn't know that they were going to hurt you. I didn't leave, I..I.." it shakes its head. "I'm sorry. If I had known, maybe I could have stopped them, you- you know? We're not all bad. I've got a lot of really nice friends! Like- like Skeppy, and..and.." Bad breathes out. "Skeppy wouldn't have hurt you. W- we have a respect for humans, you know? I don't- I don't know if you ever learnt, but we..we willingly went down there. You guys were uncomfortable, and we..we left."

Phil frowns, hands shaking. "That's bullshit. We had a war with you. We kicked you out of our worlds." Bad shakes its head.

"No. We left," Bad mumbles. Its voice sounds vaguely more humanlike. A little lighter, a little softer. "Here, um, I can change form if you want me to!" It beams, another set of teeth appearing. "Here, I look like this." The demon in front of him changes into a man, his hair a little bit messy. His eyes are green. 

"You..demons aren't supposed to shape-shift." Bad smiles at him, shrugging. 

"Well, um..I'm a demon, and I'm one of the first ones?" He offers. "True demons can shapeshift. I'm a true demon, so is everyone else." Phil closes his eyes, his heart hammering. If demons can shape-shift..were there students at the Academy who weren't really students? Who were demons, who were sabotaging everything? But..demons give off a certain energy, they have a different type of magical energy formed around them. 

"But we can summon you," Phil narrows his eyes. "And you never.."

Bad frowns, tilting his head to the side. He looks genuinely confused. "No, you can't. We made a pact with you all those years ago. Demons can't be summoned. Sometimes we can be talked to, but we don't really show up in your worlds. We don't have a reason to, and in some places, we're not allowed to. We follow the rules, the laws.." Bad crosses his arms, swaying from side to side. "I don't understand. It isn't..we can't be summoned?" Phil takes a step forwards, grabbing Bad by the collar of his shirt. "Oh- hi." He laughs, holding up his hands. 

"It wasn't demons, then," Phil narrows his eyes. "What destroyed the Academy..those weren't demons," he pauses. "I'm Phil. You're going to help me avenge my friends."

* * *

Phil sighs, adjusting his cloak as he stares down at the ravine. "Do you think anyone's come here before?" He turns to look at Bad, frowning when he isn't there. He _always_ does this. Phil smiles a little, shaking his head. Whatever, it's fine. He leaps down, his elytra clicking out of his chestplate. He finally figured out how to make it work so he could wear a chestplate over it, thank god. He lands in the ravine, taking a look around him. "Bad."

"Yeah?" Bad pops up next to him, materializing out of nothing. "There's nothing down here."

"Not yet," Phil reminds him. "Things tend to spawn when I get close to them. Plus, there might be a hidden library. That's where we found the last one," Phil knees down, blowing off some of the dust. "Can you walk through that wall real quick? I hear buzzing."

Bad sighs, but he does as asked. "Woah! Phil, come here!"

"Bad, there's a wall in the way."

"Oh, right." Phil snorts, standing back up. He presses his fingers to the stone face, coaxing it to disappear. It does after a few seconds, and..

"Holy _shit_."

"Language."

Phil glares at him, taking a step into the place. "This is insane," he murmurs, staring at the rows of books. "The Academy had to have put this here. I recognize the magic. It feels like.." Phil frowns. There's no way. "It feels like Finn."

"What?" Bad frowns, his face turning serious. "But Finn is dead."

"Yeah, Bad. I'm well aware," he mutters, running his fingers along the bookshelves. "But..it feels like him. I lived with him for a long time. It feels like his magic," Phil tilts his head, pausing. "He's here."

Bad frowns at him. "But.."

"I know how it sounds," Phil turns back to face the outside of the ravine. "But this is him, Bad. There's no fucking way it isn't," he turns back to face the library, crossing his arms. "Mega said he made a portal. He never said where he took them first. He never said that the house was the first place that he took them. He would've tried going somewhere where the Academy could have found him. But if the creatures followed them here.." Phil trails off, pushing his hand against one of the wooden walls in the library. "I never checked if Finn and Vurb's bodies were actually buried. He could have left them."

"Hm," Bad hums, shifting from his human form to his demon form. "I feel..was Finn a witch? It feels like a witch." Phil smiles, closing his eyes for a second.

"Finn was the best witch there was," he turns to face the books, sending a spike of energy to his hand. The bookshelves blow out, scattering everywhere. Phil stares down at the hole, staring at..oh. "Finn." 

Bad moves to stand next to him. "I..how?" 

"The bastard knew," Phil smiles, breathing out even if it's hard. He takes a leap down into the cave, elytra chittering for a second. "Hey, Finn," Phil crouches down next to his friend's body, shifting him so he's sat up. "You knew that we'd find you, huh?" He smiles, tears pricking at his eyes. "You..Vurb isn't with you. You made them leave you, didn't you? Fuck," Phil closes his eyes, laying Finn's body in his lap. "Smartass."

"I..I'm sorry," Bad takes a step back. "I can go.."

"It's fine," Phil sighs, closing his eyes. "It's fine. He preserved himself so I'd know. It was probably the last spell he used. God, that.." he runs his hands along the ground, wincing at the needle. The _needle?_ "Bad. There's something here. Finn left something," he moves his hand over to where the needle was, raising his other hand to form a torchlight. "Oh, this..you're such a dramatic fuck," Phil slides Finn off of his lap, staring at the writing on the ground. "This little shit."

_Hi, Phil. Or Tapl or Spifey, I don't know who'll find me. Anyways. Hi. It's nice to see you guys again. I'm dead by now, so oops. Reading over some of these books, it turns out that Vurb is a sorcerer. All of those "demons" he could summon? Those weren't demons, guys. They're angels. We got everything wrong, guys. We got it so fucking wrong. Angels are the demons, they're the bad guys. They're the ones chained up in Hell, they're the ones who have to be tied down. They went crazy, and then they tried killing us all. Demons are fine, they're good. They're good people. The reason the world got destroyed (yeah, it's destroyed) is because the demons went out to deal with the angels. We got it so fucking wrong. I need you to spread the word. Please, holy fuck, spread the word. If people keep slandering demons, they might be banned from the world or whatever, I don't fucking know. But you need to figure it out, please figure it the fuck out._

_Okay, I'm really tired now. I'll wait for you at the Darkness, okay? Love you (except you Vurb, don't touch my toes) ((jk love you Vurb))_

_\- Finn of Clearwater, former student at the Magical Academy, former witch_

Phil breathes out. "Bad."

"Yeah," Bad agrees. " _Yeah_."

"Let's go."

* * *

About two hundred years go by, and Phil still hasn't found Vurb. 

"What about down here?" Bad asks, gesturing down to another ravine. "That's where we found Finn."

"True," Phil agrees, throwing off his cloak. It hits the ravine after about ten seconds, which isn't that bad of a jump. He leaps off of the edge, elytra clicking out and clicking back in when he hits the ground. "Nothing here," Phil reports, glancing back up at the demon. "I mean..I haven't been to this world before, and it's pretty far away from the Academy's world," Phil shrugs, running his hands along the wall. "I don't feel his power. Nothing here," he tilts his head, throwing out two of the bags in his pockets. "If he finds this," Phil starts, "he'll know it was me. These things never run out of room. He'll recognize the spellwork." 

Bad nods, leaning over the ravine. "He can open portals, right? Sorcerers can do that?"

"Yeah," Phil nods, flying out of the ravine. "They can. Ah, fuck," he turns back, glaring down at his cloak. "Whatever," Phil sighs. "He'll recognize my magic there, too."

"Language," Bad chides, starting to walk again. "D'ya think he even came to this world?" Phil shrugs, pausing to focus for a second. 

"Don't think so. I haven't sensed anything. I thought I felt Finn's magic when we got to the last world, but I wasn't for sure," he sighs. "We might as well go to the next world over. I might head back to the house sometime soon. Just to say hello. I'm not sure how the Darkness works, since none of those books explained it, but..I wonder if they can hear me talking to them. I don't want to leave them alone, you know?"

Bad smiles. "I know, Phil. You're doing really good." 

Phil ducks his head, hiding his own smile. "I'm just doing the right thing."

* * *

It's been a millennium, give or take a couple years. 

Bad left - he finally found his friend again. Skeppy, Phil's pretty sure. 

Vurb is still being elusive as hell, but Phil's fairly certain he's getting closer. He's been picking up traces of his magic, scattered around the northern worlds. Phil isn't entirely sure how far Vurb teleported, but it must have killed him. There's no way he could have survived that much teleportation, especially if he was injured. His body would have given out, there's no fucking way. 

Turns out, four of his friends didn't have bodies to match the graves. 

Phil sighs, quietly wishing that Mega had told him that he left Vurb and Finn somewhere else. To be fair, it isn't like it mattered. Finn wouldn't have come with even if Mega made him. He would have opened a portal and killed himself trying to get back to that library. And Vurb is just as stubborn, Mega had to have known that. Either way, Phil still wishes he had told him. It would've made this _so_ much easier. 

If anything, he can tell that Vurb is dead. He isn't on the hunt for a living person, not anymore. Vurb died the day the Academy did. At the very least, Phil's managed to spread the word about the Academy, tell people about angels instead of demons. For the most part, everyone's believed him. Mostly because all of the other magic practitioners are fucking dead, and he's got a library to prove it. Thank god people trust magic users.

Phil wishes that the library had more books on the Darkness. He wishes he had been able to learn more about the Darkness. 

Whatever. 

He'll figure it out later.

* * *

The next million years go by fairly quickly. 

"Hey, fuckers," Phil sighs, leaning against the side of his porch. "You know how difficult you make this?" He asks, closing his eyes. "I'm just trying to figure out how to communicate via the Darkness, and you're all being stubborn little shits and not talking to me. I expected better," he teases, tapping his fingers against the ground. He watches as flowers bloom over his friends' graves, sighing again. He forgets that he can do that. "Nothing new in the Nether. I've just been trekking around. Blew up another fortress. Don't even start," Phil scoffs when the wind knocks his hat off of his head, sending it flying off. "You're an asshole, Vurb."

The wind doesn't say anything. The wind, very technically, is his friends. 

"You can't even go to the Nether, I don't see why you're so beaten up about it," Phil snorts. "Come on. I want my hat back," it soars back to him, landing directly in his lap. " _Thank_ you, Finn." 

The wind is controlled differently, depending on which one of his friends has control. When something is thrown at him, it's either Vurb, Mega, or Tapl. When he's picked up by it, that's probably Spifey. When he gets his items returned back to him, it's Finn. It's as good as he's going to get, since he can't hear them talking back to him. He's glad that he has this. 

He found Vurb's body at the bottom of a mineshaft, with hundreds of books stored in chest. He found a note, too. It mostly just detailed how they escaped, how Mega managed to get them out. How, very technically, Mega binded their souls to the gems on their cloaks. At the bottom of Finn and Vurb's graves are two gems - one an olive green colour, and the other a mix of that olive green and teal. 

Phil managed go to the edge of the Academy's world. He got _just_ close enough that he could grab and bind Spifey and Tapl to their own gemstones. 

He'd say that it was a mistake, since he can feel smoke swirling in his lungs, but it really wasn't. It was worth it. 

And, at the very least...once he goes to the Darkness, he'll finally be able to hear them say hello back. 


	5. it's so much colder

"Well, boys," Phil slumps down next to the graves, cracking his knuckles. "Angels aren't all that difficult to kill," he sighs. "You just have to use light-based magic, and energy weapons. If they crowd you, it..it's a lot harder," Phil wheezes, coughing when the smoke in his lungs flares up again. It's mostly been dormant ever since it showed up, but there are..bad nights. There always are. "I wish we would've found out more about them when Vurb summoned them. And that water angel you tried to drag out of the bathroom, Finn," he grins, watching as his hat soars away. "Well, it's true. It isn't my fault you're a curious little shit. Listen," Phil smiles, tilting his head back. "I'm going to try to figure out how to deal with the angel problem. But right now, I'm kind of fucking alone."

Phil pauses. "You guys are nice and all, but you're also all _dead_ , and you can't help me with this one. I'm not digging up your graves to take your gemstones, just so you can watch me fight things. You can't do anything physical, there's no point," he shrugs, reaching up at catching the apple that nearly falls on his head. "Vurb, fuck off. I'm not doing it. You're the reason I've had to magically bind my fucking shoes to my feet, you asshole," Phil grins, tossing the apple at Vurb's headstone. It swerves out of the way, slamming into the bushes. "Oh, so when _I_ do it you make it move? Ridiculous." 

He pushes himself to his feet, clapping his hands together. "Alright, mates. I'm gonna head off, go to a new world for a couple of minutes. You all be safe, okay? Bye, fuckers." Phil moves away from the graves, the wind howling at his feet before it silences entirely, the world going still. Dramatic little shits. Phil smiles anyways, closing the house door behind him. The place is finally starting to feel like home. He's got a couple of new house plants scattered around, which is nice. Finn likes them. It's the only reason he puts up with the goddamn bees that like to show up. Phil's nearly entirely certain that that's Finn's fault, somehow. And if it isn't Finn, it's Mega. And if it isn't _Mega_ , it's _Vurb_. It's been about a thousand years or so, and he isn't sure how much progress he's made. Killing angels isn't hard, they're just fucking _annoying_. 

They like to swarm, they like to take the shape of his friends and mock him. Phil's gotten past that, he got past it a long time ago, but still. He has to make sure that he doesn't breathe in too much air whenever he gets close to them, since that'll just speed up him dying. He's dying and he's accepted that, but he doesn't plan on letting it happen anytime soon. Phil's still got way too much to do, and dying is just going to make everything so much harder to finish. Phil sighs, waving a hand to lift a pot from the stove. He starts a small fire, letting the pot of water hover over the flames. He's been trying to learn how to cook more things, which is..difficult. 

Mega was, surprisingly, the best cook out of them all. Followed by Spifey and then Vurb, but it isn't like anyone ever ate what he made, anyways. Mostly out of fear that he'd slip another transformation spell in it, which he did _way_ too many times. Phil still remembers his time as a ferret, and he _still_ remembers Tapl almost stomping on him. Fucking prick. He smiles to himself, throwing a couple of herbs into the pot. He still misses them, but it isn't as hard as it used to be. He's gotten used to them being with him, even if they can't talk to him. Phil's gotten used to being alone for the most part. It isn't all that bad, it's just..quiet. It's really, really quiet. Phil wishes that he could get rid of the quiet, that he could just..do _something_ with it. 

Phil's never liked the quiet, and it's all he's had for the past million years. 

_God_ , he's fucking old. Phil snorts, opening a cupboard. The only good thing about his friends being dead is that the fuckers can't make fun of him. To be fair, if they were still alive, they'd be as old as he is. They very technically are, actually. He'll have to mock them next time he says hi. Phil frowns for a second, hearing scratching at his door. For fucks sake. He raises a hand, lifting the pot off of the stove, just in case. He reaches out to open the door, a-

Phil summons a shield as soon as he sees the person, watching as they run straight into said shield. "Fuck! Please, _please_ , let me in," they hiss, glancing behind them. "Seriously, I-"

"Fine," Phil sighs, internally cursing himself for it. He grabs them by the shoulder, dragging them inside of the house. He waves a hand, and the entire place disappears. At least, it should. Hopefully. "What the hell?" He adds another layer of the spell, completely muting any noise from inside his home to the outside ear. "What-"

"Hunters," the kid mutters, leaning up against the doorframe. "Hi. I'm Fruitberries." 

"Fruitberries?" 

"Don't look at me like that. Not my fault my parents named me that."

Phil snorts. "Fair," he sits down in front of Fruit, one eyebrow raised. "So..Fruit." 

"Yeah?"

"What the fuck?"

* * *

Phil watches as Fruit juggles three knives in his hands, entirely focused on it. "You're getting better." Fruit shouts, leaping back as he drops a knife way too close to his foot. 

"Phil, you're such a prick," he glares at him, but he's grinning. "I was doing so well, too! This is just bullying," Phil watches as the wind (Mega, this time) picks up the knives, twirling them around in the air. They float gently down in front of Fruit, handle pointed towards him. " _Thank_ you, Mega. I can't believe _Mega_ is more well behaved than you are, Philza." Phil laughs, leaning up against his porch. 

"And they used to call me the dad of the group," he grins over at the graves, feeling the wind swirl around his legs. "Do you think you'll be leaving soon?" 

Fruit nods, picking the knives back up. "Probably. It's been nice staying here, but I..you know?" He laughs, ducking his head. "I'm sorry, that sounded shitty. You've been great. You're the only reason I'm alive, and I'm eternally grateful. I'm just bad at..being with people. Plus, I want to go off and some hunters. I work better alone."

"I get it," Phil assures him, smiling. "You know you can always come back here, right? My doors are always open to you." Fruit smiles back at him, tossing a knife up in the air. 

"I know. I'll come back to visit, I promise."

Phil beams. "I'd hope so, Fruit."

* * *

Fruit doesn't come back to visit. 

* * *

"Alright, listen," Phil sighs, standing in front of the headstones. "You little shits are coming with me," he waves a hand, watching as the gemstones pop out of the ground. They're all clean, shockingly in pristine condition. It's probably because of Finn. "We're going to make a world," the wind screams at him, and he nearly stumbles back from the pure force of it. "Oh, shut up," Phil rolls his eyes, shoving his friends' souls in his bag. "I know what I'm doing, Harvey. I've sort of done it before," he holds up his hands, focusing on the physical form of his soul. He closes his eyes, letting his magic flow through his body, gently coaxing it to do what he wants it to do. Phil winces as he feels a spike of agony shooting up through his body, his chest constricting. "Fuck." Phil mutters, gasping for a breath of air. 

He keeps urging his magic to do what he wants, to form the basics of a world. To take a piece of his soul and safely put it somewhere where it can grow. He feels a snap, his eyes shooting open. 

There's a portal in front of him. 

" _Fuck_ yes," Phil grins, moving towards it. He takes a step into the portal, glancing around. There's..so much. There's _so_ fucking much. He stares at all of the fauna and trees, watches as animals he didn't know existed move around him. He stares at- _no fucking way_. "Harvey?"

His friend's transparent body grins back at him, his eyes brighter than they've ever been before. "You did it, Phil. You fucking did it."

"Of course I did," Phil opens his arms, a wave of joy crashing through him when Tapl settles into them. "I'm fucking awesome, Harv'. Where's everyone else?" 

_"We're all here, too. Give it a second. God, you're impatient."_ Mega mutters, and then..and then he's there, standing in front of him. His scarf is a little less colourful than it used to be, but it's..it's _him_. 

"Toes," Vurb sets his head on Phil's shoulder from behind him, a smile in his voice. "Hi, Phil. I'm surprised you didn't rip your soul out of your body." 

Phil snorts, shoving him back. God, it feels so fucking good to do that. "You're awfully bold for someone who's dead," he teases, watching as Vurb pouts at him. "Geo? Finn?" 

"Sadly here," Finn responds, and Phil whirls around to face him. His hair is a lot longer than it used to be. "You've got no idea how awful it was, living with these idiots for the majority of my life," he sighs. "I was only like, seventeen when I died, and I have to deal with this bullshit?" Finn grins at him, his eyes sparkling. "You're the lucky one, Philza." 

"Also here!" Spifey shouts, his voice distant. "Sorry, it- it spawned me like, fify fucking metres away!" He complains, crashing through the trees. "No one else had the same problem?" His eyes are huge, his cloak trailing behind him. Phil shoves Harvey away from him, grabbing Spifey into a hug. "Hey, Phil."

"Hi, Geo," he smiles, closing his eyes for a second. "I'm sorry I-"

"Shut the fuck up," Spifey whispers, which makes Phil laugh way too fucking hard. "It's been a million years, give or take. You've had enough time to be sorry, dude. Come on," Spifey gestures ahead of them. "Let's explore the world together." 

Phil smiles, nodding once. He starts to walk, grinning at his friends' cries of protest, the way they desperately try to catch up to him.

The wait was worth it. 


End file.
